Booklet designed by Mercury Paperworks

I recently received this question from a planning bride:

Hi Arina,
I read your article on keeping your bridesmaids happy, it was really good. I'm having eight bridesmaids at my wedding and eight groomsmen. I'm not as concerned about the guys, but I am bit worried as to how I will orient my bridesmaids to what will be happening and the responsibilities they will be given. Any advice?

Amanda -- Houston, Texas

Amanda, it is easy to avoid bridal politics with just a bit of organization. But delegating responsibilities and making sure everyone is on the same page -- without making your friends feel like they're at work and you're their boss -- requires some creativity. My best advice is to come up with a Bridesmaid "Essentials" or "Orientation" booklet which helps orient your bridesmaids to the upcoming festivities. Just keep in mind that this book shouldn't be a "to do" list.

I asked Diann Cage, designer and owner of Mercury Paperworks, to come up with a beautiful booklet that could not only be distributed to bridesmaids during the planning stages, but also saved as a keepsake after the wedding. "No problem!" said Diann. She quickly designed a wonderful "Bridesmaid's A-Z Essentials" booklet.

Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to design a bridesmaid's orientation book. Since the bride is in charge of delegating responsibilities and planning her wedding, it is up to her to decide what needs to be listed and/or omitted.

In Diann's version, the first section of the booklet is devoted to listing bridesmaid "Attire" information -- where to purchase the dresses, shoes, and other accessories. It is appropriately labeled with a capital letter A. Also listed are web addresses to designers' web sites and store listings of where attire can be purchased.

Other helpful items to include in the book might be:

• Fabric swatches of bridesmaid's dresses and/or wedding colors
• Example photo (if available) of bridesmaid's bouquets
• Names and phone numbers of all bridesmaids
• Contact information of people in charge of planning the wedding (wedding consultant, maid-of-honor, mother, etc.), in case you cannot be reached to answer questions
• If applicable, information on wedding and reception venue so that out-of-town bridesmaids can make convenient hotel arrangements

For the second section of the booklet, Diann listed Beauty information -- where the "bridal" beauty day will take place and the services the bridesmaids can look forward to... always a great section to include!

The last section is probably the most important -- a personal note hand-written from the bride thanking each bridesmaid for agreeing to participate in the wedding. The key to this section is personalizing the message. Diann took this section one step further. She added a childhood photograph of the bride and bridesmaid, with a caption reading "Best Friends"... how wonderful!